


Love Will Break The Circle

by Nadja_Lee



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Declarations Of Love, Drunken Confessions, Fluff, Happy Ending, Healing, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Jace Wayland, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Alec Lightwood, Romantic Fluff, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26756032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadja_Lee/pseuds/Nadja_Lee
Summary: Alec picks Jace up every time he is drunk, after he has been with yet another girl. Every time Jace flirts with him and every time Alec says that if Jace remembers the next morning he will respond to it. He never does and Alec suffers in silence at the bittersweet agony of having Jace and yet never having him for real. Until one day…Jace remembers.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Comments: 28
Kudos: 340
Collections: Hunter's Moon 500 Prompts





	Love Will Break The Circle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Polarnacht](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polarnacht/gifts).
  * Inspired by [You're The One I Want](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26464699) by [Polarnacht](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polarnacht/pseuds/Polarnacht). 



> Thanks so much to my amazing beta readers as always: Cindy and Monochromatize.  
> Thanks so much to Regina for the great art.  
> Story warnings: Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Drunken Confessions, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, referenced sex  
> 500 word prompt for the word “Denial”.  
> Dedicated to Polar and can be viewed as a kind of comparison piece to her amazing work.

“You’re so beautiful. Do you know that?” Jace said, for a moment managing not to sway on his feet.

Alec tried not to show how much the words both warmed and hurt him. He replied as he always did, “If you still think so tomorrow then we can talk about it.”

Jace always smiled satisfied at that, drunken artificial joy on his face.

“You’re the best parabatai ever. I love you!” Jace declared as he hugged him tight, his lips brushing against Alec’s cheek.

“I love you too.”

Jace was so close Alec could smell the liquor on his breath.

Alec did what he always did. When he felt Jace’s drunkenness in the bond he knew Jace had reached the point where he couldn’t control the bond any longer and it was time to come and bring him safely home. So, he would locate him through their parabatai rune and pick him up. Alec knew the routine; whenever Jace hurt he went drinking, fucking one or more nameless beautiful women. Jace would never talk of his pain, never admit to his loneliness, but at times Alec felt echoes of it in the bond.

The nights always went the same way. Alec would help Jace into bed with gentle hands and loving words. Every night Jace would ask Alec to stay till he fell asleep; every night Alec did, holding Jace safe and warm while his heart was breaking because he knew Jace never remembered in the morning.

So, every morning Alec snuck out before Jace woke up. He went to the training room and trained till his fists bled. He sparred till he was bruised and battered. For every cut to his heart he endured holding Jace, so close and yet so endlessly far from what he truly desired, he added another bleeding cut to his body.

It went like that over and over. Jace never remembered in the mornings and never commented on Alec’s bruises and scars. Alec never spoke of Jace’s flirting, never spoke of how much he wished Jace would stop tormenting him. How it tore his heart to pieces. Alec never spoke and Jace never remembered.

Then one morning everything changed.

Alec was about to leave to make himself bleed away the bittersweet agony of having held Jace close all night, not sleeping but just feeling his parabatai’s heartbeat close to his own.

“Stay,” Jace asked, grabbing Alec’s wrist as he was to sneak out of bed as always.

Alec looked shocked at him.

“I remember. I always remembered. I was just in denial,” Jace admitted frankly. “You’re still the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out. Stay and this time…let me love you back,” Jace added gently.

Alec smiled, relieved, overjoyed.

“For you I would have waited forever. I would have endured anything. I love you always,” Alec proclaimed affectionately.

When their lips met in a kiss, they both knew this was what had been missing to heal and feel whole.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment or a kudos if you enjoyed the story. It would mean a lot to me. Thank you


End file.
